A 17-year-old student recently amazed millions of people worldwide by ranking 12th in the preliminary round (预赛) of a global math competition. She became the first vocational (职业技术的) school student to reach the finals and the only girl among the top 30 finalists.

Jiang Ping, who is majoring in fashion design at Lianshui Secondary Vocational School in Huai’an, Jiangsu province, taught herself advanced mathematics for about two years and then made it to the finals of the 2024 Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition with a high score of 93 out of 120. The Alibaba math competition, which started in 2018, is open to all math lovers regardless of age and background. Tens of thousands of people from across the globe participate in it every year. The eight-hour final round is scheduled for Saturday, and all participants will answer online. This year’s competition will select five gold medalists, 10 silver medalists, 20 bronze medalists and 50 excellent award winners.

Jiang’s keen understanding of numbers began in junior high school, when she was easily able to solve difficult math problems. Most students in China learn advanced math in college. “I lean toward subjects such as advanced math, as they spark my desire to explore,” she said. “I enjoy the step-by-step process of solving the math problems, and reaching the desired result brings me great joy.” 

The teen, who spends most of her spare time solving math problems, keeps an English dictionary handy so that language doesn’t become a barrier when she’s learning from Lawrence C. Evans’ book Partial Differential Equations. All of Jiang’s books are full of notes, as she hopes to go to college someday and further explore her interest in math.

Jiang’s story has also received widespread attention on social media. A hashtag item about her, which read “In a life not defined by others, anyone can be a dark horse”, gained more than 16 million views as of Sunday.

1.What can we know about the 2024 Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition from the text?

A Its founder and aims.

B Its prize and advantages.

C Participant requirements.

D Standard for winning it.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The Alibaba math competition, which started in 2018, is open to all math lovers regardless of age and background.”可知，阿里巴巴全球数学竞赛面向所有数学爱好者，不分年龄和背景，这是参赛人条件。故选C。

2.Which word can best replace the underlined phrase “lean toward”?

A Hate.

B Forbid.

C Avoid.

D Enjoy.

解析：选D。D词义猜测题。根据划线词后面的“such as advanced math, as they spark my desire to explore”“I enjoy the step-by-step process of solving the math problems”可知，姜萍喜欢高等数学之类的科目。故选D。

3.Why does Jiang carry an English dictionary with her?

A To prepare for an English interview.

B To show off her hands-on skills.

C To help herself study math better.

D To kill her free time by learning English.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据倒数第二中的“keeps an English dictionary handy so that language doesn’t become a barrier when she’s learning from Lawrence C. Evans’ book Partial Differential Equations”姜萍在学习劳伦斯·C·埃文斯的《偏微分方程》时，她随身带着一本英语词典，这样语言就不会成为她学习的障碍。《偏微分方程》是一本全英文的数学书，姜萍查英语字典来帮助自己更好地学习这本数学书。故选C。

4.What can be learned from Jiang’s story?

A Pride hurts, modesty benefits.

B A hero’s origin doesn’t matter.

C He laughs best who laughs last.

D When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据最后一段的“In a life not defined by others, anyone can be a dark horse”可知，她的故事感动和激励了无数网民，它清楚地表明，一个人的潜力不一定取决于他/她的教育背景，只要勤奋和坚持，梦想就会成真。即英雄不问出处。故选B。